Waldo Swift is the author of Mid Island News. The articles cover the history, land and civic life of Nanaimo and mid Vancouver Island, from Ladysmith to Qualicum Beach: the coal mines and Chinatown, the faults and watersheds under and around the city, council decisions on parks, schools and ferries, and practical guides to the area.
Each article is built from public records, including council and government documents, museum and archive holdings, published research and news coverage. The sources are listed at the end of the piece, and where two of them disagree on a date, a figure or a name, the article gives both.
Questions, corrections and suggested sources go to [email protected]; the contact page has the postal address.
Articles by Waldo Swift
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Community theatre
Bailey Studio Nanaimo: the community theatre on Rosstown Road
The Bailey Studio in Nanaimo grew from a Rosstown Road miner's shack into a 172-seat theatre: its history, a 2011 Barefoot in the Park, and tickets.
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Housing policy
BC Housing in Nanaimo: subsidized homes, the waitlist and the disputes
How BC Housing subsidized housing works in Nanaimo, from the registry and the 30 per cent rent rule to Uplands Walk and the 250 Bryden Street dispute.
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Recreation facility decision
Ravensong pool closures, the 2025 expansion vote and the renovation
Why Ravensong pool in Qualicum Beach closes every August, how the 2025 expansion vote failed, and what the $13.5 million renovation will change.
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Fire service
Ladysmith fire department: joining, its history and the island’s halls
Ladysmith Fire/Rescue is a paid-on-call department founded in 1904. How to apply, and how it compares with Nanaimo and Nanoose Bay fire services.
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Ferry service change
Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo ferry schedule, bookings and route changes
The Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo ferry schedule: how many sailings Route 2 must run, why vehicles now need a booking, and what changed at Departure Bay.
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Garden club and local food
Nanaimo Horticultural Society: the plant sale, seed swaps and markets
The Nanaimo Horticultural Society sells member-grown plants each spring. Where its sale, the seed swaps, local markets and food programs fit in the year.
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Animal welfare and bylaw
CatNap Society and Nanaimo's feral cats: colonies, bylaw and birds
CatNap Society traps, fixes and rehomes Nanaimo's feral cats. How colonies grow, what the 2021 animal bylaw allows and why birds come into it.
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Civic building
Nanaimo convention centre: the VICC and the hotel lot left empty
Nanaimo voters backed the conference centre by 52 per cent in 2004. Its promised hotel took until 2023, and the city still covers about $1 million a year.
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First World War battle
Battle of Beaumont-Hamel: the Newfoundland Regiment on July 1, 1916
On July 1, 1916, about 800 men of the Newfoundland Regiment attacked at Beaumont-Hamel and 68 answered roll call. How Nanaimo remembers the war.
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Waterfront park
Shack Island BC: Pipers Lagoon Park and the shacks beside the lagoon
Shack Island sits off the headland of Pipers Lagoon Park in north Nanaimo, a 1983 park bought by the province on a lagoon that once held a whaling station.
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Waste drop-off guide
Yard waste removal in Nanaimo: Church Road, the carts and the fees
Where yard waste goes around Nanaimo: tipping fees at Church Road and Cedar Road, what the green carts take, and which plants must go to the landfill.
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Urban wetland
Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo: painted turtles, yellow iris and a river
Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo is a 55 ha reclaimed floodplain on the Millstone River, home to painted turtles, a bird-banding station and a dogs-free trail.
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Roadside litter bin
Garbage Gobbler: BC’s roadside litter monster, from Langford to today
The Garbage Gobbler was a green-and-yellow litter bin designed by Len Shaw in Langford. About 250 stood along BC highways; fewer than 20 survive.
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School district
School District 68: Nanaimo-Ladysmith schools, its board and budget
School District 68 runs 28 elementary and six secondary schools from Lantzville to Ladysmith. How it formed, what it costs and who sits on the 2026 board.
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Local transit
Qualicum Beach shuttle bus: from Shop to Shore to today's Route 98
Qualicum Beach's free Shop to Shore shuttle ran two summers. What replaced it, how the Oceanside routes work now, and the Green Thumb transport debate.
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Introduced mammal
Black squirrels in BC: what the black squirrels around Nanaimo are
The black squirrels in Nanaimo are eastern grey squirrels in a dark coat, descended from an escape near Victoria in 1966. How to tell them apart.
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Tourism and short-term rental policy
Nanaimo Airbnb rules, the hotel tax and the events centre referendum
How Nanaimo regulates Airbnb and VRBO hosts, who controls the 3% hotel tax, why voters rejected an $80M events centre, and what Beban Park offers instead.
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Waste policy
Parksville landfill, the plastic bag ban that failed and the RDN plan
Parksville announced a plastic bag ban in 2018, then council killed it 6-1. Where its garbage goes and what the RDN's 90 per cent plan has done since.
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Gaming venue reference
Casinos on Vancouver Island: a guide to the gaming venues and rules
Six BCLC gaming venues operate on Vancouver Island, from Victoria to Campbell River. What each one offers, who regulates them and where the money goes.
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Technology and public policy
Artificial intelligence and the threat to humans, from Seoul to Ottawa
From AlphaGo's 2016 win and Hawking's warning to Canada's AI safety institute, B.C. school guidance and VIU's rules: where the AI risk debate stands.
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Ferry capacity dispute
BC ferry waits at Departure Bay: lineups, data and the booking rule
Departure Bay had most of the coast's longest BC ferry waits in 2016. Since October 2025, every vehicle sailing there from Horseshoe Bay must book.
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Vintage truck camper
Caveman Camper: the 1958 truck camper, its maker and the island story
Caveman campers were sold from 1958 to about 1980. Trademark records point to Grants Pass, Oregon; one later account places the maker on Vancouver Island.
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Municipal finance
Nanaimo property assessment, tax increases and the big projects ahead
Nanaimo's typical home was assessed at $769,000 for 2026 while city taxes rose 6.4 per cent. How the bill is built and what it is meant to pay for.
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Political scandal
Pacific Scandal of 1873: Macdonald, Hugh Allan and BC’s railway deal
How Hugh Allan's 1872 election money for a railway charter brought down Macdonald in 1873, and how the broken BC promise ended in the E&N land grant.
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Port expansion
Duke Point Terminal expansion: Nanaimo’s deep-sea berth and neighbours
The Duke Point terminal south of Nanaimo is getting a 325-metre berth and electric cranes. How the port grew, who objected and where it stands now.
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Urban lake and park
Diver Lake in Nanaimo: a coal-country lake, its park and its odd name
Diver Lake sits southeast of Brannen Lake in north Nanaimo. Its park has a fishing float and off-leash field, and its name may go back to a mine collapse.
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Public elementary school
Rutherford Elementary in Nanaimo: the closure vote and the reopening
Nanaimo trustees voted 5-4 in 2015 to close Rutherford Elementary on Hammond Bay Road. It shut in 2018 and reopened for 2025-26 as the north end filled up.
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City park planning
Maffeo Sutton Park: the plans for Nanaimo’s busiest waterfront park
Maffeo Sutton Park went from foundry land to Nanaimo's busiest park. The master plan, the new washrooms, and Caledonia, Harewood and Cinnabar parks.
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Municipal water supply
Jump Lake and Nanaimo’s watershed: how the city’s water is supplied
Nanaimo's water is stored behind Jump Creek Dam, taken in at South Fork and filtered since 2016, on forest land the city does not own.
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Waste and recycling
Parksville garbage dump, illegal dumping and where RDN waste goes
Where Parksville and Nanaimo garbage goes, how illegal dumping is reported, and the incinerator, recycling and green bin fights behind today's system.
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Municipal parking policy
Parking downtown Nanaimo: free hours, meter fees and parkades
Parking downtown Nanaimo went free for 17 months and paid again on March 2, 2026. Rates, free hours, parkades and the Departure Bay ferry lot.
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Civic park dispute
Colliery Dam Park in Nanaimo: the coal-era dams, the fight and the fix
Colliery Dam Park in Nanaimo kept its two coal-era dams after a three-year fight; a 2016 spillway fixed the lower one and the middle dam is next.
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Waterfront development
Nanaimo Hilton hotel plan: Georgia Park, Front Street and the walkway
A 32-storey Nanaimo Hilton hotel was approved for Front Street beside Georgia Park, then shelved. What was planned, what got built instead, what is left.
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Food, local history
Nanaimo bars: the history, the official recipe and the disputed origin
Where Nanaimo bars come from: the 1952 hospital-auxiliary cookbook, the 1953 Edith Adams name, the official 1980s recipe and why the origin is still debated.
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Coal mining history
Nanaimo coal mines: a history from the 1852 seam to Morden headframe
The history of Nanaimo coal from the Snuneymuxw seam of 1852 to the 1887 explosion, the great strike, Morden Mine and the Raven coal mine proposal.
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Zoning dispute
Nanaimo zoning and the Duke Point incinerator fight: what I4 allows
Nanaimo rejected a Duke Point garbage incinerator in 2014, but the I4 heavy industry zone stayed open. How it works and the 2025 fight to change it.
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Community dental clinic
CODE clinic Nanaimo: low-cost dental care on Wallace Street and the ER
The CODE clinic on Wallace Street offers reduced-cost extractions and restorative care. Who pays, other cheap options, and when to go to the ER.
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Native tree
The arbutus tree on Vancouver Island: where to see it in Nanaimo
Where arbutus trees grow in Nanaimo, how BC's only native broad-leaved evergreen tree survives dry rock, and what is behind the blackened leaves.
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Passenger ferry service
Nanaimo foot passenger ferry: from the HarbourLynx collapse to Hullo
Private firms tried a Nanaimo foot passenger ferry to Vancouver for decades. HarbourLynx folded in 2006; Hullo has carried 1.5 million people since 2023.
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School closure dispute
Cedar Community Secondary: the 2013 closure, court case and reopening
Cedar Community Secondary School closed in June 2014 and reopened in September 2016. The plan, the lawsuit, the costs and the vote that reversed it.
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Arts and culture guide
Arts and culture in Nanaimo: stages, music, festivals and galleries
Where theatre, music, festivals, galleries and libraries live on mid Vancouver Island, from Ladysmith to Qualicum Beach, with current seasons and dates.
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History, public record
Nutrition experiments on First Nations children in residential schools
How federal researchers studied hunger among First Nations children at six residential schools, including Alberni, and how the record came to light in 2013.
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Diplomatic and fisheries history
The Halibut Treaty of 1923: the first treaty Canada signed alone
On March 2, 1923, Ernest Lapointe signed the Halibut Treaty for Canada alone. How it was made, the Senate dispute, the commission and the BC fishery.
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Sea, navigation
Whiskey Golf: the military test range off Nanoose Bay, for boaters
Area WG off Nanoose Bay is a torpedo test range. What happens there, when it is active, the safe transit route and how to check status by radio or phone.
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Federal port authority
Nanaimo Port Authority: Duke Point, the Wharf and the cruise terminal
The Nanaimo Port Authority runs Duke Point, the Assembly Wharf, a cruise dock and the Boat Basin. Who sits on its board, the fights, and where it stands.
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Geology, preparedness
Vancouver Island earthquake map: fault lines, history and local risk
The fault lines behind earthquakes on Vancouver Island, from the 1700 Cascadia earthquake to the 1946 quake, how to read the map, and what to do when it shakes.
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Industry and language history
Vancouver Island logging history: camp words, steam donkeys and mills
Vancouver Island logging from steam skidders to the 2026 Crofton closure: the camp vocabulary dictionaries record, the companies, and the pulp mills.
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Shopping guide
Malls in Nanaimo: shopping centres, plazas, liquor stores and cannabis
Malls in Nanaimo from Woodgrove Centre to Brooks Landing, how the city zones liquor and cannabis stores, and which bus routes reach each shopping area.
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Marine radio service
Marine traffic from Victoria, BC: Coast Guard radio, sectors and AIS
How the Coast Guard tracks marine traffic around Victoria, BC and Vancouver Island: two centres, VHF traffic sectors, calling-in points and AIS.
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Weaving, cultural history
Salish blanket history: mountain-goat wool, woolly dogs and status
How Coast Salish blankets were made from mountain-goat wool and woolly-dog hair, what they meant for status, and how weavers brought the craft back.
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Local history, public record
Nanaimo Chinatown history: three sites, the mines and the 1960 fire
Nanaimo had three Chinatowns between the 1860s and 1960. Where each stood, why it moved, the coal-mine work and laws behind it, and how it ended.
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Nature park and neighbourhood
Linley Valley, Nanaimo: the parkland purchases and Linley Valley West
Nanaimo bought 177.5 acres in Linley Valley in 2014 and 50 more in 2018, while a new neighbourhood got its own road from Rutherford. How it was decided.
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Restaurant history
Rendezvous in Nanaimo: the Diners’ Rendezvous and 489 Wallace Street
The Diners' Rendezvous ran at 489 Wallace Street from 1956 to 2000 under the Wong brothers. Its building, its family and what came after.
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Producer guide
Vancouver Island wineries list: wine, cider and beer, area by area
Vancouver Island wineries, cideries and craft breweries grouped by area, from Saanich and Cowichan to Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach and the Comox Valley.
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Off-leash dog areas
Dog parks in Nanaimo: the 12 off-leash areas, rules and licences
Nanaimo has 12 off-leash dog parks, most of them one-year pilots that became permanent. Where they are, the rules, and what licences cost in Ladysmith.
Questions
Who writes Mid Island News?
Waldo Swift is the author of every article. Each one carries a byline that links to this page, and questions or corrections go to [email protected].
What are the articles based on?
They are built from public records, including council and government documents, museum and archive holdings, published research and news coverage. Every article lists the sources it rests on at the end.
What happens when sources disagree?
The article gives both figures or dates and says which source each one comes from, instead of choosing silently. Where a detail could not be confirmed from a source, the article says less rather than guess.
How can an error be reported?
By email to [email protected]. A message is most useful when it gives the address of the page, the sentence or figure in question, and a source that shows the correct detail.
Which places does Mid Island News cover?
The area runs roughly from Ladysmith in the south to Qualicum Beach in the north, including Gabriola and the other islands close to Nanaimo harbour. The focus is Nanaimo and the surrounding mid Vancouver Island communities.
What does the AI badge on an image mean?
Images marked AI are generated illustrations of places and objects, not photographs of real events. A caption says when an image shows a generic place of a kind found on the island rather than a specific one.